وَتَزعُمُ أَنّي قَد تَبَدَّلتُ خُلَّةً

وَتَزعُمُ أَنّي قَد تَبَدَّلتُ خُلَّةً

سِواها هَذا الباطِلُ المُتَقَوَّلُ

سِواها هَذا الباطِلُ المُتَقَوَّلُ

And she claims that I have taken a sweetheart

You claim that I have changed my love for another,

Other than her—this is a fabricated lie.

This is a falsehood, nothing more.

لَحا اللَه مَن باعَ الحَبيبَ بِغَيرِهِ

لَحا اللَه مَن باعَ الحَبيبَ بِغَيرِهِ

فَقالَت نَعَم حاشاكَ إِن كُنتَ تَعقِلُ

فَقالَت نَعَم حاشاكَ إِن كُنتَ تَعقِلُ

May God curse whoever trades the beloved for another.

May God curse whoever replaces their beloved with another,

She said, 'Yes—far be it from you, if you have sense.

She said "Yes, far be it from you, if you were reasonable."

سَتَصرِمُ إِنساناً إِذا ما صَرَمَتني

سَتَصرِمُ إِنساناً إِذا ما صَرَمَتني

بِحُبّكَ فَاِنظُر بَعدَهُ مَن تَبَدَّلُ

بِحُبّكَ فَاِنظُر بَعدَهُ مَن تَبَدَّلُ

If you forsake me, you will forsake someone

You will become heartless if you become heartless towards me

In love with you—so consider whom you will take instead.'

With your love, then look - who changed after that?

أَعَلِّلُ نَفسي مِنكِ بِالوَعدِ وَالمُنى

أَعَلِّلُ نَفسي مِنكِ بِالوَعدِ وَالمُنى

فَهَلّا بِيَأسٍ مِنكِ قَلبي أُعَلَّلُ

فَهَلّا بِيَأسٍ مِنكِ قَلبي أُعَلَّلُ

I console myself with your promise and with hopes;

I blame myself for your promises and hopes

Then why not console my heart with despair of you?

Why doesn't my heart despair of you and blame itself?

وَمَوعِدكِ الشَهدُ المُصَفّى حَلاوَةً

وَمَوعِدكِ الشَهدُ المُصَفّى حَلاوَةً

وَدونَ نَجازِ الوَعدِ صابٌ وَحَنظَلُ

وَدونَ نَجازِ الوَعدِ صابٌ وَحَنظَلُ

And your promise is sweet as pure honey,

Your sweet promise like pure honey

But before its fulfillment lie bitter sap and colocynth.

And without fulfilling the promise - thorns and bitter colocynth.

وَأَمنَحُ طَرفَ العَينِ غَيرَكِ رِقبَةً

وَأَمنَحُ طَرفَ العَينِ غَيرَكِ رِقبَةً

حِذارَ العِدا وَالطَرفُ نحوَكِ أَميَلُ

حِذارَ العِدا وَالطَرفُ نحوَكِ أَميَلُ

I turn my gaze to another, out of caution,

And I give my eye to another, turning my neck away

For fear of enemies, though my gaze inclines more toward you.

From jealousy and yet my eye inclines towards you.

لِكَيما يَقولَ الناسُ إِنَّ أَمراً رَمى

لِكَيما يَقولَ الناسُ إِنَّ أَمراً رَمى

رَبيعَةَ في لَيلى بِسوءٍ لِمُبطِلُ

رَبيعَةَ في لَيلى بِسوءٍ لِمُبطِلُ

So people may say, 'Whoever accused

So people say that Rabī‘ah has maligned

Rabi'a of wrongdoing over Layla is surely lying.

Laylá in the night with evil untruth.

لَقَد كَذَبَ الواشونَ بَغياً عَلَيهِما

لَقَد كَذَبَ الواشونَ بَغياً عَلَيهِما

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا بَريءٌ مُعَقَّلُ

وَما مِنهُما إِلّا بَريءٌ مُعَقَّلُ

The talebearers have surely lied, wronging them both;

Indeed those tale-bearers have lied in their malice against them

And both are innocent and self-restrained.'

And they are both innocent and protected.

فَلَو كُنتَ ذا عَقلٍ لَأَجمَعتُ صَرمَكُم

فَلَو كُنتَ ذا عَقلٍ لَأَجمَعتُ صَرمَكُم

بِرَأيي وَلَكِنّي اِمرِؤٌ لَستُ أَعقِلُ

بِرَأيي وَلَكِنّي اِمرِؤٌ لَستُ أَعقِلُ

So if I had sense, I would resolve to part from you

If you had any reason, you would have restrained their slanderers

By my own judgment; but I am a man without sense.

With my opinion but I am not a reasonable man.

وَكَيفَ بِصَبرِ القَلبِ لا كَيفَ عَنكُمُ

وَكَيفَ بِصَبرِ القَلبِ لا كَيفَ عَنكُمُ

وَبابُ فُؤادي دونَ صَرمِكِ مُقفَلُ

وَبابُ فُؤادي دونَ صَرمِكِ مُقفَلُ

And how can the heart endure without you? There is no way,

How can I have patience - not how can I be patient without you

When my heart's door is locked against forsaking you.

While the door of my heart is locked to your estrangement.

وَمِن أَينَ لا مِن أَينَ يُحرَمُ قَتلكُم

وَمِن أَينَ لا مِن أَينَ يُحرَمُ قَتلكُم

وَقَتلي لَكُم يا أُمَّ لَيلى مُحَلَّلُ

وَقَتلي لَكُم يا أُمَّ لَيلى مُحَلَّلُ

And how—no, how—is killing you forbidden,

And how, nay from where, can killing you be unlawful

While killing me is lawful for you, O Umm Layla?

And my being killed by you, O Umm Laylá, is permissible?

أَغَرَّكِ أَن لا صَبرَ لي في طِلابِكُم

أَغَرَّكِ أَن لا صَبرَ لي في طِلابِكُم

وَأَن لَيسَ لي إِلّا عَلَيك معَوَّلُ

وَأَن لَيسَ لي إِلّا عَلَيك معَوَّلُ

Has it emboldened you that I have no patience in pursuing you,

Did it delude you that I have no patience in seeking you

And that I have no one to rely on but you?

And that I have no one in whom to place hope but you?

وَلَمّا تَبَيَّنتِ الَّذي بي مِنَ الهَوى

وَلَمّا تَبَيَّنتِ الَّذي بي مِنَ الهَوى

وَأَيقَنتِ أَنّي عَنكِ لا أَتَحَوَّلُ

وَأَيقَنتِ أَنّي عَنكِ لا أَتَحَوَّلُ

And when you saw clearly the passion within me,

And when you realized the love that was within me

And knew for certain that I would never turn from you,

And knew that I would not change towards you.

ظَلَمتِ كَذِئبِ السَوءِ إِذا قالَ مَرَّةً

ظَلَمتِ كَذِئبِ السَوءِ إِذا قالَ مَرَّةً

لِسَخلٍ رَأى وَالذِئبُ غَرثانُ مُرمِلُ

لِسَخلٍ رَأى وَالذِئبُ غَرثانُ مُرمِلُ

You wronged me like the wicked wolf, who once said

You oppressed like the evil wolves when one of them says to a yearling calf,

To a lamb he saw—the wolf was hungry and without provisions—

Seeing the wolf with mange in its fur mangy and filthy:

أَأَنتَ الَّذي في غَيرِ جُرمٍ شَتمتَني

أَأَنتَ الَّذي في غَيرِ جُرمٍ شَتمتَني

فَقالَ مَتى ذا قالَ ذا عامُ أَوَّلُ

فَقالَ مَتى ذا قالَ ذا عامُ أَوَّلُ

'Are you the one who insulted me without cause?'

"Was it you who insulted me without any crime?"

The lamb said, 'When was that?' The wolf said, 'Last year.'

It said "When was that?" He said "This year, the first one."

فَقالَ وُلِدتُ العامَ بَل رُمتَ غَدرَةً

فَقالَ وُلِدتُ العامَ بَل رُمتَ غَدرَةً

فَدونَكَ كُلني لا هَنا لَكَ مَأكَلُ

فَدونَكَ كُلني لا هَنا لَكَ مَأكَلُ

It said, 'I was born this year! No, you intended treachery.

It said "I was born this year. But you attacked treacherously,

Here, then—eat me! May your meal bring you no pleasure!'

So keep away, you have no food here."

أَتَبكينَ مِن قَتلي وَأَنتِ قَتَلتِني

أَتَبكينَ مِن قَتلي وَأَنتِ قَتَلتِني

بِحُبَّكِ قَتلاً بَيِّناً لَيسَ يُشكِلُ

بِحُبَّكِ قَتلاً بَيِّناً لَيسَ يُشكِلُ

Do you weep over my death, when you yourself have killed me

Do you cry from killing me when it was you who killed me

Through love of you—a killing clear and unmistakable?

With your love, a clear killing that leaves no doubt?

فَأَنتِ كَذبّاحِ العَصافيرِ دائِباً

فَأَنتِ كَذبّاحِ العَصافيرِ دائِباً

وَعَيناهُ مِن وَجدٍ عَلَيهِنَّ تَهمِلُ

وَعَيناهُ مِن وَجدٍ عَلَيهِنَّ تَهمِلُ

For you are like one who ceaselessly slaughters sparrows,

You are like the persistent killer of little birds

While his eyes stream with grief for them.

While your eyes negligently shed tears over them.

فَلَو كانَ مِن رَأفٍ بِهِنَّ وَرَحمَةٍ

فَلَو كانَ مِن رَأفٍ بِهِنَّ وَرَحمَةٍ

لَكَفَّ يَداً لَيسَت مِنَ الذَبحِ تَعطلُ

لَكَفَّ يَداً لَيسَت مِنَ الذَبحِ تَعطلُ

For if it came from tenderness and mercy toward them,

If you had any pity or mercy for them

He would restrain the hand that never rests from slaughter.

Your hands would abstain from slaughter and be still.

فَلا تَنظُري ما تَهمِلُ العَينُ وَاِنظُري

فَلا تَنظُري ما تَهمِلُ العَينُ وَاِنظُري

إِلى الكَفِّ ماذا بِالعَصافيرِ تَفعَلُ

إِلى الكَفِّ ماذا بِالعَصافيرِ تَفعَلُ

So do not look at what the eye sheds; look instead

So do not look at what the eye neglects but look

At the hand—what does it do to the sparrows?

At the palm - what it does to the little birds.

هِبيني اِمرِءاً أَذنَبتُ ذَنباً جَهِلتُهُ

هِبيني اِمرِءاً أَذنَبتُ ذَنباً جَهِلتُهُ

وَلَم آتِهِ عَمداً وَذو الحِلمِ يَجهَلُ

وَلَم آتِهِ عَمداً وَذو الحِلمِ يَجهَلُ

Suppose I am a man who committed a sin unknowingly,

Bring me a man who sinned a sin in ignorance

And did not do it deliberately—even the forbearing can act foolishly.

And did not intend it, and the forbearing are ignorant.

عَفا اللَهُ عَمّا قَد مَضى لَستُ عائِداً

عَفا اللَهُ عَمّا قَد مَضى لَستُ عائِداً

وَها أَنا ذا من سُخطِكُم أتَنَصَّلُ

وَها أَنا ذا من سُخطِكُم أتَنَصَّلُ

May God pardon what has passed; I shall not do it again.

God forgive what is past, I will not return

And here I am, pleading to escape your displeasure.

And here I am, freeing myself from your anger.